Method for packaging a lot of products

ABSTRACT

A method of fashioning a packaging for a tray capable of forming a display, and two U-shaped parts positioned inside the tray to secure a lot of products. The method includes transferring the lot from a preparation station to a prepackaging station; applying, onto two opposite side surfaces of said lot, the U-shaped parts; and fashioning the blanks on the lot and forming a prepackaging. The method also includes transferring the prepackaging to a packaging line to group the prepackaging and a cutout constituting the tray; and fashioning the packaging into the shape of a box on the packaging line. The facility for the method includes a preparation station for the lots; a prepackaging station with a store for the U-shaped parts; a packaging line with a station that is outfitted so that the prepackaging can be grouped together with the cutout constituting the tray.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

-   -   This application is a National Stage of International         Application No. PCT/FR2010/050533, filed on Mar. 24, 2010, which         claims priority from French Patent Application No. 09 01433,         filed on Mar. 26, 2009, the contents of all of which are         incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The invention relates to a method for packaging a lot of products in order to form a packaging consisting of an assembly of several cutouts which can act as packaging for shipment or as packaging of the type commonly referred to as “retail ready packaging” (RRP).

This type of RRP packaging can be in different forms. In document FR 1190156, the products are packaged in packaging which consists of two identical elements made of cardboard which are prismatic in shape. These two elements are superimposed and partially overlapping and their joining occurs in a plane passing through the diagonals of the sides of the final packaging.

This packaging is impact-resistant and can form either one display or two identical displays, as desired.

Another type of RRP packaging is described in document FR 2899873. This packaging, which is similar to the slotted container known as an “American box”, initially consists of a cardboard blank that is a single piece; it comprises a precut line which allows fashioning the box in two parts: one part which forms the display and the other part which can be removed and discarded.

The packaging described in the aforementioned document FR 1190156 offers a good compromise between shipping and product presentation constraints. However, its robustness lies in the use of a large amount of cardboard, and discarding the second part of the packaging during setup in the aisles wastes the time of the persons responsible for doing so.

The packaging presented in document FR 2899873 above is clearly less expensive and easier to recycle, but this type of packaging is not suitable for all types of products or aisles. When the product presentation is of great importance because of the commercial value of these products, for example, a presentation is required which is appropriate for the product image. When the two parts that constitute the box in this type of packaging are separated, it leaves an unattractive line of separation.

There is also packaging in the form of a tray which acts as a display, and this tray is supplemented to form outer packaging, primarily for shipment, with one or two cardboard sheets folded into a U shape which surround the products to a greater or lesser extent, primarily acting to protect said products during shipment and to allow stacking the trays atop one another in storage.

This type of tray supplemented with half-belts in a U shape is described in particular in documents U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,191 and FR 2890044.

The packaging described in these documents U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,191 and FR 2890044 may be much more attractive in character because they consist of: —a relatively conventional tray that is easy to decorate, and, for example, —two supplemental U-shaped parts which can also be decorated and/or have appropriate shapes.

The tray constitutes an essential part of the packaging and acts as a display, while the two supplemental U-shaped half-belts are temporary in nature and form simple walls around the product lot to form packaging which is similar to a box and offers the standard attributes of that type of packaging: good protection and good resistance during product storage and shipment.

The invention relates to a method for creating RRP or another type of packaging, which consists of a tray and two half-belts, meaning a packaging of the type described in the abovementioned documents U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,191 and FR 2890044.

The invention concerns a method for fashioning a packaging which offers the possibility of reducing the cost of the different cutouts which constitute the packaging and improving the mechanical strength of this packaging without a negative effect on the cost, by using several materials which may have different qualities; it also offers the possibility of easily adapting this packaging to the specific requirements of RRP and the specific requirements of shipping the products.

The method of the invention consists of fashioning a packaging which comprises: —a part that is tray-shaped, which in the case of RRP is able to form a display, and —two U-shaped parts which are positioned in said tray to girdle a lot of products, said products arriving in single file at a preparation station where they are grouped to form said lot which is then transferred to a packaging line from which it exits in the shape of a box, said method consisting of introducing an intermediate step, between the lot preparation operation and the final packaging operation, said step occurring at a prepackaging station and firstly consisting of:

-   -   transferring said lot from said preparation station to said         prepackaging station.     -   applying, onto two opposite sides of said lot of products, a set         of cardboard blanks constituting said U-shaped parts, and     -   fashioning said blanks onto said lot so that it is completely or         partially surrounded, forming a sort of prepackaging,         and said method then secondly consisting of:     -   transferring said prepackaging to the packaging line,     -   grouping together the prepackaging and a cutout constituting the         tray, and     -   fashioning the packaging into a box on said packaging line.

This method allows fashioning complex packaging consisting of several pieces of cardboard comprising a tray and, between them, at least one belt consisting of two parts which each form a half-belt, these parts possibly being of materials of a type and composition which can be adapted and chosen from multiple possibilities, depending on the destination of the products for example.

Thus the cardboard blanks constituting the belt can have a particularly simple rectangular shape, and be of rigid cardboard with corrugation; these blanks act as vertical walls but also act as spacers when the packages are stacked. The display portion of the packaging can consist of a cardboard sheet of a different type; it may also be decorated appropriately for the product and its destination.

The blanks which act as walls and spacers may also comprise, depending on the case, flaps for completely or partially covering the products which constitute the lot.

Still according to the invention, the method for fashioning the packaging consists of:

-   -   at the prepackaging station, taking the cutouts constituting the         blanks from at least one magazine situated close to said         prepackaging station, then     -   transferring and applying said blanks onto two opposite sides of         the lot of products, by appropriate means.

In another arrangement of the invention, the fashioning method consists of transferring the lot of products, between the preparation station and the table of the prepackaging station, by a direct and level path, along a line which is perpendicular to the axis x-x′ of the packaging line.

In a first variant embodiment, the fashioning method consists of transferring the lot of products, between the preparation station and the table of the prepackaging station, by a level path which allows introducing said lot facing the magazine, along a line which is parallel to the axis x-x′ of the packaging line.

In another arrangement of the invention, according to either of the above embodiments, the fashioning method consists of transferring the lot of products, between the preparation station and the table of the prepackaging station, by a path which allows introducing said lot from underneath said table, the lot being raised to the level of the table by means of a lifting device.

Still according to the invention, the fashioning method consists of applying the blanks onto two opposite sides of the lot, in a direction which is perpendicular to the axis x-x′ of the packaging line.

In a variant embodiment, the fashioning method consists of applying the blanks onto two opposite sides of the lot, in a direction which is parallel to the axis x-x′ of the packaging line.

Still according to the invention, the fashioning method consists of placing on the prepackaging, downstream from the packaging line, a cutout fashioned into a lid in order to obtain a packaging which is in the form of a closed box.

The invention also concerns the facility for fashioning a “retail ready” or other type of packaging, by implementing the method detailed above, said facility comprising:

-   -   a conveyor to convey the products to a preparation station for         preparing the product lots to be packaged,     -   a packaging line for packaging each product lot, said line         extending from a magazine in which cutouts that constitute the         trays are stored, to the downstream end of the conveying device,         passing through a station for assembling said cutouts into their         shape,     -   a prepackaging station between said preparation station and said         packaging line, said prepackaging station comprising a magazine         of cardboard blanks and a means for extracting said blanks and         applying them onto two opposite vertical walls of the lot of         products,     -   on the packaging line, a station which groups the prepackaging         with the cutout which constitutes the display/tray, for forming         a prepackaging,     -   a means for transferring the prepared lot to said prepackaging         station,     -   a means for transferring said prepackaging between said         prepackaging station and the packaging line, positioning it at         said grouping station on the cutout constituting the tray, with         the possibility of assembling said cutout around said         prepackaging.

Still according to the invention, the fashioning facility comprises a station situated in the downstream portion of the conveying device, said station being arranged to allow the placement of a cutout able to form a lid which gives the packaging the appearance of a closed box.

The invention will be further detailed by means of the following description and the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the product lot and the two blanks to be applied onto said lot,

FIG. 2 shows the product lot prepackaged in the two blanks which each form a sort of half-belt,

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view from above of the facility of the invention which performs the final packaging of the product lots.

FIG. 1 shows products 1 which have been assembled together to form a lot 2. These products 1 may be regular in shape, parallelepipedic, or cylindrical, completely rigid such as bottles or vials or cans, or semi-rigid such as bags or packets of noodles or other items.

An object of the invention is to prepare this lot 2 of products 1 in a form which is represented in FIG. 2 and which corresponds to a sort of prepackaging of said lot 2 by using two pieces of cardboard which correspond to blanks 3.

These blanks 3 are arranged on each side of the lot 2, on opposite vertical sides, and consist of sheets of cardboard folded so that each one forms a sort of half-belt which partially surrounds said lot 2 of products 1.

Each blank 3 consists, for example, of a simple sheet of corrugated cardboard, and this sheet consists of a central panel 4 having dimensions corresponding to the face of the lot 2 to be covered, and two flaps 5 which may completely or partially cover the other sides of said lot 2. The height of the panel 4 corresponds to at least that of the products 1 to be packaged.

FIG. 2 shows a lot 1 of products 2 which are prepackaged using blanks 3 having panels 4 covering the larger faces of said lot and having flaps 5 which each cover a portion of the sides of said lot.

FIG. 3 schematically represents the layout of a facility for implementing a prepackaging 6 of the lot 2. For simplification, the lot 2 in this example consists of four products 1.

This prepackaging 6 is then supplemented to obtain an original packaging in the form of a box which comprises the blanks 3 from the prepackaging 6 and a supplemental part which constitutes the basic element of the outer packaging, meaning the tray; this supplemental part as described thereafter is initially in the form of a cutout 7 and constitutes the part which ultimately acts as a display in the case of RRP packaging. This display/tray, combined with the blanks 3, forms true packaging in box form which is well-suited for product shipment and storage.

The facility therefore comprises a conveyor 10 which conveys the products 1 in single file to a station 11 where the preparation and grouping of the lots 2 takes place.

In a facility where the product lot is packaged in a conventional box, which may be an American box or a wrap-around box, said lot is immediately transferred to the packaging line 12 for placement in said box.

The facility of the invention, as represented in FIG. 3, comprises in addition to the above, between the preparation station 11 and the packaging line 12 for the lots 2, a station 13 for conducting a prepackaging operation for said lots 2.

This prepackaging station 13 receives, on one side, the lots 2 which were previously prepared at the station 11 and, on the other side, the blanks 3 which are stored in at least one magazine 14 situated in the immediate vicinity of said prepackaging station 13.

The transfer of lots 2 between the preparation station 11 and the prepackaging station 13 can occur in different ways, for example based on layout constraints and/or the space available for housing the facility.

The newly formed lots 2 can be transferred between the preparation station (11) and the table (15) of the prepackaging station (13), by a direct and level path A, in a line which is perpendicular to the axis x-x′ of the packaging line (12); they can also be transferred on a level path B which introduces said lot (2) across from the magazine (14), along a line which is parallel to the axis x-x′ of the packaging line (12); they can also be transferred by a path A′ or B′ which introduces said lot (2) from underneath the table (15), said lot then being raised to the level of this table by means of a lifting device, not represented.

One will also note in FIG. 3 that the prepackaging 6 can be presented in two different ways, depending on the orientation of the blanks 3. There are two possibilities for placing these blanks 3 against opposite sides of the lot 2; the central panel 4 of these blanks 3 can be placed either perpendicular to the axis x-x′ of the packaging line 12, or parallel to said axis x-x′, depending on the shape of the cutout 7 which forms the display.

The packaging line 12 finalizes the packaging of the lot 2 of products; it is of a form which is encountered in machines for boxing products, having a magazine 16 containing the cutouts 7 at the entrance, followed by a device 17 for conveying said cutouts 7 to one or more stations before ultimately discharging the completed packaging 18.

The first station after the magazine 16 is a station 19 which accepts the cutout 7. This first station 19 is followed by a station 20 where the cutout 7 and the prepackaging 6 are grouped together.

Then the cutout 7 is assembled into its final form around the prepackaging for the lot 2 as it advances towards the assembly station 21 in the downstream direction in the packaging line 12. The cutout 7 receives points of glue for its assembly into a tray 22 which can then constitute a display if so desired. Points of glue may also be carefully applied for assembling the tray 22 with the blanks 3 of the prepackaging 6, while retaining the possibility of easily detaching these blanks 3 without damaging the tray 22 when the products are placed in the aisle if said tray is to serve as a display.

In the example in FIG. 3, the facility has a station 23 situated in the downstream portion of the packaging line 12. This station 23 is arranged, in relation with a supplemental magazine not represented, to place a lid 24 on the box 18, after said box 18 issues from grouping the prepackaging 6 and the cutout 7 which is assembled into a tray 22. This lid 24 is, for example, in the form of a simple protective cap, and can be fashioned from a cutout of the same type as the cutout 7 which constitutes the tray 22.

The facility detailed above allows implementing the method of the invention for fashioning a packaging from multiple parts, whether “retail ready” or another type of packaging, which has all the qualities required to form a veritable box during storage and shipment in particular, and to serve as an effective aisle display for offering the products 1 for sale.

This method consists of fashioning a packaging for a lot 2 of products 1 in two phases; firstly, it consists of:

-   -   transferring said lot 2 between the preparation station 11 and         the prepackaging station 13,     -   applying, onto two opposite sides of said lot 2 of products, a         set of cardboard blanks 3 which serve as protective walls for         said products and which serve as spacers when storing and         stacking this type of packaging, and     -   fashioning said blanks 3 around said lot 2 in a U shape which         completely or partially surrounds said lot and forms a sort of         prepackaging 6.

Secondly and still in this facility, the method consists of:

-   -   transferring the lot prepackaged in this manner to the packaging         line 12, and     -   grouping the cutout 7, which constitutes the future display, and         the prepackaging 6 of the lot 2, to form the actual packaging         after said cutout 7 is assembled into its shape, and     -   fashioning the final packaging 18 on the packaging line 12.

This method therefore allows fashioning a complex packaging consisting of several pieces of cardboard comprising at least one tray 22 which is associated with two cardboard blanks 3 forming a belt around the lot 2 of products. The different pieces used to create this packaging may be made of materials of which the nature and composition advantageously can be chosen and adapted from a large number of possibilities, for example based on the product destination.

For example, the cardboard blanks 3 which constitute the belt may have a particularly simple rectangular shape and be made of rigid corrugated cardboard; these blanks 3 serve as vertical walls but also serve as spacers when the packages are stacked. These blanks 3 can also, depending on the case, comprise slits and/or windows, not represented, which facilitate identification of the products contained in the package.

The cutout 7 which serves as the tray/display can consist of a cardboard sheet which is of a different type than that of the blanks 3; it can also be decorated appropriately for the product and its destination.

The cutout which serves as a lid 24 can be made of plain cardboard, which for example offers a good surface for accepting information that allows the operator to quickly identify the contents of the package.

The method for fashioning the package further consists of:

-   -   at the prepackaging station 13, collecting the cutout blanks 3         from at least one magazine 14 situated in the immediate vicinity         of said prepackaging station 13, then     -   by appropriate means, transferring and applying said blanks 3         onto two opposite sides of the lot 2 of products. 

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A method for fashioning a packaging comprising at least one tray-shaped part and two U-shaped parts positioned in said tray-shaped part to girdle a lot of products, said products arriving in single file at a preparation station where said products are grouped to form said lot which is then transferred to a packaging line, said method comprising, between a preparation operation for said lot and a finishing operation for the packaging, firstly: transferring said lot from said preparation station to a prepackaging station, applying, onto two opposite sides of said lot of products, a set of cardboard blanks constituting said U-shaped parts, and fashioning said blanks onto said lot so that said lot is completely or partially surrounded, forming a sort of prepackaging, then secondly, transferring said prepackaging to said packaging line, and grouping together said prepackaging and a cutout constituting said tray-shaped part, and fashioning the packaging into a box on said packaging line.
 12. The method for fashioning a packaging according to claim 11, said method comprising, at said prepackaging station, taking cutouts constituting said blanks from at least one magazine situated close to said prepackaging station, then transferring and applying said blanks onto two opposite sides of said lot of products, by appropriate means.
 13. The method for fashioning a packaging according to claim 12, said method comprising transferring said lot of products, between said preparation station and a table of said prepackaging station, by a direct and level path along a line which is perpendicular to an axis of said packaging line.
 14. The method for fashioning a packaging according to claim 12, said method comprising transferring said lot of products, between said preparation station and a table of said prepackaging station, by a level path which allows introducing said lot across from said magazine, along a line which is parallel to an axis of said packaging line.
 15. The method for fashioning a packaging according to claim 12, said method comprising transferring said lot of products, between said preparation station and the table of said prepackaging station, by a path which allows introducing said lot from underneath said table, said lot being raised to the level of said table by means of a lifting device.
 16. The method for fashioning a packaging according to claim 12, said method comprising applying said blanks onto two opposite sides of said lot, in a direction which is perpendicular to an axis of said packaging line.
 17. The method for fashioning a packaging according to claim 12, said method comprising applying said blanks onto two opposite sides of said lot, in a direction which is parallel to an axis of said packaging line.
 18. The method for fashioning a packaging according to claim 12, said method comprising placing on said prepackaging a cutout fashioned into a lid in order to obtain a closed box.
 19. A facility for fashioning a packaging comprising at least one tray-shaped part and two U-shaped parts positioned in said tray-shaped part to girdle a lot of products, said products arriving in single file at a preparation station where said products are grouped to form said lot which is then transferred to a packaging line, in order to implement the method comprising, between a preparation operation for said lot and a finishing operation for the packaging, firstly: transferring said lot from said preparation station to a prepackaging station, applying, onto two opposite sides of said lot of products, a set of cardboard blanks constituting said U-shaped parts, and fashioning said blanks onto said lot so that said lot is completely or partially surrounded, forming a sort of prepackaging, then secondly, transferring said prepackaging to said packaging line, and grouping together said prepackaging and a cutout constituting said tray-shaped part, and fashioning the packaging into a box on said packaging line, said facility comprising: a conveyor to convey said products to said preparation station for preparing said lots of products to be packaged, said packaging line for packaging each lot of products extending from a first magazine in which cutouts that constitute said tray-shaped part are stored, to a downstream end of a conveying device, passing through a station for assembling said cutouts into their shape, said prepackaging station between said preparation station and said packaging line comprising a second magazine of cardboard blanks and a means for extracting said blanks and applying said blanks onto two opposite vertical walls of said lot of products in order to form a prepackaging, on said packaging line, a grouping station which groups said prepackaging with one of said cutout which constitutes a tray-shaped part, a means for transferring said lot of products prepared at said preparation station to said prepackaging station, a means for transferring said prepackaging between said prepackaging station and said packaging line and positioning said prepackaging at said grouping station on said cutout which constitutes said tray-shaped part, with the possibility of assembling said cutout around said prepackaging.
 20. The facility for fashioning a packaging according to claim 19, said facility comprising a further station situated in a downstream portion of said conveying device, said further station being arranged to allow placement of an additional cutout able to form a lid which gives said packaging the appearance of a closed box. 